Pennsylvania heavyweight crew coach Ted Nash, whose obsession in life for the past few years has been to put a permanent end to the Harvard dynasty, stood on the Weld Boathouse dock yesterday with the smile of a man who sees his goal very much within reach.

Yesterday morning, before several hundred spectators on the banks of the Charles, his powerful Quaker varsity exploded to an early one-length lead over Navy and Harvard, held it throughout the body of the race with a brutally high stroke, and beat down a late Crimson sprint with one of its own to clinch the Adams Cup title for the second consecutive year.

And unless Harvard is able to drastically reverse yesterday's results at the EARC Sprint championships next weekend-as it did last year-Penn must be considered the best crew in the East, if not the nation.

Nash, who coached the Penn freshmen last year, was wearing a souvenir cap from the 1968 Olympic Trials on the dock after the race, and despite urging from Sports Illustrated staffer Hugh Whall, he was quite noncommittal about Penn's prospects at the Sprints next weekend.

"Harvard is Harvard." he explained. "and they're still the Hertz of the East. Once in a while Avis catches them, and that's what we did today."

Our Day Will Come

"Aren't you Hertz now "Whall asked. "We'd rather be Avis." Nash maintained.

Unfortunately. Penn is quite close to being Hertz. Unlike last year, when Harvard rowed a subpart race at Philadelphia but came back to crush the Quakers at Worcester, there seems little chance of avenging the loss.

Yesterday, the Red and Blue exploded to a quick deck-length margin off the stakeout and had taken a full-length lead by the 500-meter mark. Harvard, which was trailing Navy as well at that time, was rowing at 36, and although that cadence was holding the Quakers' lead steady at one length, It was not moving the Crimson any closer.

Meanwhile, the Red and Blue was experimenting with a wide stroke range, never dropping below 38, and on one occasion, hitting 47. "Show 'em what a 50 looks like." Nash yelled from the Penn launch at that point, and Quaker stroke Gardner Cadwalader almost did.

Approaching the Mass. Avenue bridge. Penn went to 44 for 10 strokes, opening up a full length on Navy and Harvard. which had pulled even with the Middies by then. With 800 meters to go. Harvard began to move slightly on Penn, readying itself for a sprint which had, with one exception in the past, always been enough.

But the Quakers Jumped from 38 to 41, and then to 43, nullifying the Crimson's 39-count sprint. At the finish. Penn had almost a full length on Harvard, three on tiring Navy, and the best time of the day. 6:16.6. Harvard was clocked in 6:20.4.

In earlier races, Harvard's freshmen had edged Navy by three seconds, and Penn by ten, and the Penn JV had out sprinted Harvard. 6:28.0 to 6:29.8. with the Middies 11 seconds astern.